STOP RON DESANTIS’
WAR ON CHRISTMAS
Ron DeSantis is making the holidays harder for Florida families to afford by:
Rejecting federal funding to help low-income families afford groceries
Kicking tens of thousands of Florida children off their health insurance
Playing politics with federal hurricane funding
To stop Ron’s war on Christmas, we’re organizing a massive gift drive to provide toys, books, and everyday essentials to Florida families in need.
100% of your gift (after credit card fees) goes directly to buy gifts for Florida families. (Photo of Ron DeSantis by Gage Skidmore via Flickr)
We’re the American Humanist Association. We represent the millions of Americans who believe in doing good, without God.
And we don’t care what holiday people celebrate. What we do care about are humanist values: Taking care of those in need. Treating people fairly. Recognizing the dignity of every person.
For years, the right-wing media has accused us of being offended by people celebrating Christmas. That’s absurd. We believe in people’s right to worship however they want, or not at all. Many of us celebrate Christmas, too! And we want to help people celebrate all year round by providing the gift of community and generosity.
Ron’s War On Christmas
Ron DeSantis would rather push his religious values on Florida families than help them afford their basic needs. While he focuses on banning books he doesn’t like, working families in Florida suffer.
We’ve had it, and that’s why we’re stepping up to provide Florida families in need with holiday gifts - because humanists believe every person has equal worth.
Here are some of the ways Ron has thrown Florida families under the bus, making it harder for working parents to afford holiday gifts–and even everyday essentials–for their kids:
(photo of Ron DeSantis by Gage Skidmore via Flickr)
1. Ron DeSantis refused $250M in federal electronic benefit transfer (EBT) funding to help hungry, low-income children in Florida.
2.1 million Florida children receive free or reduced priced lunches
Feeding America says that 1 in 5 children in Florida face hunger
According to United for Alice, of Florida's 8,800,279 households in 2022:
13% earned below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
33% were ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)
Together, 46% of households in Florida were below the ALICE Threshold (poverty + ALICE divided by total households)
DeSantis claims community food banks, churches, and local organizations can shoulder the task of funding food for children/families who need assistance, but local organizations are already inundated
There is only one government-run food bank in the state of Florida and it’s located in Miami
The mayor of North Miami, who founded the food bank called “NoMi food pantry”, states that the population they serve has increased by 300% since the pandemic
2. DeSantis ended insurance coverage for 22,500 Florida children and sued the Biden administration for implementing rules requiring states to provide ‘continuous eligibility’ for 12 months
Florida KidCare has dropped thousands of children from their coverage due solely to the DeSantis administration, leaving them helpless in the face of medical issues
DeSantis sued the Biden administration to avoid complying with a rule requiring states to provide 12 months of continuous eligibility for enrollees ages 18 and younger under Medicaid and CHIP, even if monthly premiums are not paid
Florida is one of nine states that charges premiums to children below 150% of the poverty line
Notably, hundreds of children were disenrolled on Easter, including very ill children (not very “pro-life” of him!)
DeSantis also opposed Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and rejected federal funds
DeSantis is cutting off healthcare to children despite the fact that infant mortality rates in Florida are higher than the national average, in what the University of Miami declared a Maternal and Infant Health Crisis
3. DeSantis played politics regarding federal support in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton
When Vice President Harris attempted to connect with the governor following the devastating hurricanes that wrecked huge parts of Florida, DeSantis refused her calls aimed at responding to the crisis on a federal level
DeSantis also reportedly missed meetings with President Biden regarding the same, holding up relief efforts that could support the thousands of Floridians impacted by the hurricanes
DeSantis also continues to deny the existence of climate change despite his state facing increasingly strong weather patterns that threaten the livelihoods of all 8 million people who live in Florida
In total, DeSantis rejected over $11 billion in federal funding that could help Floridians